Published: Thursday 16 July 2020
Residents and visitors to Kensington and Chelsea can look forward to digital theatre, online carnival and a local art trail as the Council approves it’s 2020/21 Culture Plan.
The Leadership Team has approved the Council’s One Year Covid-19 Culture Plan, which focuses on helping the borough recover from the pandemic and has an emphasis on digital engagement.
The plan was originally developed with input from communities and cultural institutions from across the borough and has been adapted quickly in recent months in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. It recognises that the need to be flexible and respond to the needs of communities as the borough recovers.
Cllr Emma Will, Lead Member for Culture, Leisure and Community Safety said:
“Culture not only brings jobs, investment and opportunity, but it also supports our health and wellbeing and can create experiences and opportunities for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
“Our new One Year Covid-19 Culture Plan is another big step forward for as we aim to protect lives and protect livelihoods as the borough recovers from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m excited by the breadth of cultural activities we have planned for our community in the coming year and look forward to the many events we can safely enjoy together.”
Outlined in the Culture Plan, the Council will:
- Invest £175,000 in the delivery of a digital Notting Hill Carnival for 2020, to encourage everybody to celebrate Carnival’s cultural heritage and join the fun from home
- Support the Chelsea Theatre with digital engagement activities for wellbeing the launch of a resident focused community story-telling project, bringing together professional theatre makers (playwrights, directors, designers, actors) with the local community in World’s End.
- Assist Kensington and Chelsea Art Week to work with local artists and creative studios to create a public art trail, with original exhibitions in shop windows in the borough’s iconic such as King's Road and High Street Kensington.
Kensington and Chelsea is full of world renown institutions at its doorstep. The Science Museum, Portobello Market and the V&A Museum are just a few world-famous locations in the borough. The Culture Plan will contribute to making sure these much-loved institutions are safe and easy for all to access.
Launching in September 2020, with an emphasis on digital activities and events, the Culture Plan will continue to deliver on the projects Kensington and Chelsea communities have come to love and expect.